Ariel Winter booked the part of Alex Dunphy on the sitcom Modern Family when she was only ten years old. Now she's 21, a young woman who grew up right in front of America's eyes. Would you like to spend your awkward teenage years on national television? I'm guessing no. (But making more than $100,000 an episode probably makes up for it.)

On Wednesday, Winter shared a stunning new selfie with her 3.9 million Instagram followers. A risky endeavor, since trolls frequently body-shame her, and accuse her of getting plastic surgery. This time, a concerned fan asked, "Why so thin," and the TV star posted a lengthy response on Instagram Story, opening up about her rapid weight loss.

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"For years I had been on anti-depressants that caused me to gain weight that I couldn't lose no matter what I did," Winter explained. "It was always frustrating for me because I wanted to get fit and feel like the work I was doing was paying off, but it never felt that way. I had accepted it and moved on."

Eventually, she decided to stop taking that medication, which had dramatic results. "The change in medication instantly made me drop all the weight I couldn't lose before by just giving me back a metabolism," Winter wrote. "While I feel better mentally with the change, and it's nice to work out and have your body actually respond, I want to gain a few pounds of muscle and get healthier. Also want my butt back..."

Modern Family actress Ariel Winter has responded to body-shaming critics who accused her of going under the knife in a bid to slim down.

The trouble began earlier this month when the actress uploaded a number of pictures of herself to Instagram, and some commenters rather rudely pointed out that she appeared to have shed a fair amount of weight.

Before long, these criticisms had escalated and people began calling Winter out for the use of plastic surgery. Others dubiously believed that the star's appetite had diminished as a result of alleged cocaine binges.

One disgruntled Instagram user wrote: "You're actually gorgeous. But pills and nose candy go hand in hand with Hollywood. Enjoy yourself, but don't get ruined by it."

Another person wrote: "Nothing wrong with being honest and telling her we liked her better before 'the change' she was so beautiful before she started chopping up her body, and if me saying so helps one gurl out there to feel beautiful who's thinking of getting PS then it's worth it. [sic]"

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Ariel replied to them saying: "I appreciate you wanting to help girls love themselves the way they are, but you are also kind of cutting someone (me) down. I also didn't get plastic surgery. That is also not being supportive of women if you're just assuming something about the way they look."

In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the Modern Family actress opened up about her struggles with self-image and mental health, which she blamed on her "stage mom" who pressured her to get her into show business.

Her mother Crystal Workman would allegedly physically strike her, control how much she ate, and constantly criticise her. She also sexualised her daughter from a young age.

Winter's mother's emotional abuse allegedly became so extreme and devastating, that her sister Shanelle Workman filed papers to become her guardian and emancipated the actress from her mother's care.

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Winter also discussed how she has had to deal with online haters since the age of 12, when she was first cast in Modern Family. Furthermore, she stated that she has enjoyed going to college and furthering her education.

"I definitely want to continue being an actress. I love it," she stated. "The reason I'm going to college is because I do want knowledge in another field. College isn't the college experience for me. I'm not going to be in a sorority, I'm not going to network, I'm not even really going to make my lifelong friends. I've had the career experience. I've had the experience of taking care of myself. I'm going to college because I genuinely want to learn."

Great news, everyone! We've made it two days into 2019 without any stories about celebrities clapping at back at mean trolls. Finally, we can exist together in peace and harmony, without miserable dipshits projecting their bubbling self-hate onto famous - whoops, never mind. We got one. Meet the new year, same as the last year!

Ariel Winter plays nerdy shut-in Alex Dunphy on Modern Family, but you'd never guess it from her stunning photos on social media. The 20-year-old actress has grown up in front of our eyes, and often gets cruel comments from body-shaming strangers. They critique her body as well as her sartorial choices, which takes a toll on her self-esteem.

On Tuesday, Ariel rang in the new year by sharing a photo of her and her boyfriend on Instagram. In the comments, someone observed the drinks in the photo, writing, "Underage drinking! Very bad! Lol." Ariel replied, "Honestly anything acidic kills my stomach so I really just held his because I didn’t want to be the only one toasting with water…lol."

An Instagram user added, "not half as bad as all the coke/meth she uses. She literally dropped 30 ponds [sic]" Ariel replied sarcastically, mocking the typo: "yup…I dropped 30 bodies of water so fast… And yes!! My psychiatrist switched me from my previous antidepressant that didn’t work and made me gain weight, to coke/meth!! Definitely not a new one that worked and then regulated my metabolism. Coke/meth was a controversial decision but she stands by it."

The presumptuous troll continued, "Not hating. You’re actually gorgeous. But pills and nose candy go hand in hand with Hollywood. Enjoy yourself, but don’t get ruined by it."

Ariel dropped the humor and wrote this savage response: "Thanks for the compliment…? I’m sure you know EXACTLY what goes on or is hand in hand with EVERYONE in Hollywood seeing as everyone knows everything about people they DON’T know."

She continued: "And apparently everyone does the same thing now??? I couldn’t have lost weight for any other reason just because of the industry I’m in? I think it definitely counts as hating on someone when you completely ignore the truth coming from the actual person, just to follow your own fantasy narrative."

Last September, Ariel was criticized multiple times for wearing shorts in the (gasp) summer. She responded by delivering an epic rant on Twitter:

"People wear shorts. People have wardrobe malfunctions. No one is perfect. I'm not a stylist! I don't know what to wear everyday so I look 'appropriate' or "fashionable' [...] Also, screw having to always look appropriate or fashionable. For what? Society? Who gets to decide what is appropriate or fashionable? I wear what I like and no one should fault me for that."

Maybe it's time to just stop reading Instagram comments? As long as there's an internet, trolls are going to troll, year after year after year.

Sarah Hyland, perhaps best known for her role on the sitcom Modern Family, often uses her Instagram to post messages of positivity. She has even shared her advice on self-confidence with her younger co-star on Modern Family, Ariel Winter, as she explained in an interview with PEOPLE last year:

“It’s about being confident in your self, and not letting people’s hateful words get to you. Just surround yourself with positivity and not let the negativity get to you.”

“I like to think we — me, Julie Bowen and Sofia Vergara — helped her be confident with her body and herself. I mean, she was 11 years old when I met her. I was 18. I tried to be a good role model for her, and a true older sister for her because she’s such a sweet little girl.”

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The 27-year-old actor has also shared similar messages about empowerment and self-love through makeup-free selfies and jumped to the defence of Ariel Winter after some abusive comments on Instagram. When it comes to body-shamers targeting her, she's had witty retorts in the past - like how she responded when commenters told her to "eat some bread".

Last week, she found herself in a similar situation, after she posted a photo for #feelinmyselffriday. "Thought I came up with a cool new hashtag... turns out I'm wrong. ALSO," she wrote in the caption. "Turns out I'm not the first person to take a selfie in the bathroom... weird."

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The selfie shot of her in a bikini was accompanied by the hashtag "#showyourscars," as she proudly displays a surgical scar from a kidney transplant she received in 2012.

However, many commenters focused instead on her weight, calling her "sickly skinny," while another wrote, "Eat something u look like u haven't ate in years". Another told Hyland’s boyfriend, Bachelorette alum Wells Adams, that he was “dating a stick.”

Hyland had tagged the brand of her bikini, Inamorata Swim, in her post. The bathing suit line was launched by none other than Emily Ratajkowski, who quickly leapt to Hyland's defence in the comments. “You look amazing. Fuck em (& you kill it in @inamaorata swim every time!)” the model commented.

Hyland's boyfriend, Wells Adams, also defended her. When one user commented, "eat a doughnut," The Bachelor in Paradise alum told them to "eat shit."

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Many of Hyland's fans also defended her, with supportive comments about Hyland's health and body. One commenter wrote:

"Do you know it's just as rude to tell someone they are too skinny as it is to say they are overweight? She had many health issues and I'm sure is just thankful to be alive so she's beautiful. Let her be @sarahhyland"

Regardless of what you think of Hyland's health in this situation, it is rude to speak about someone like this, even if they are a celebrity. After all, if you wouldn't do the same to a complete stranger in the middle of the street, why do it with someone you don't know on Instagram?

Ariel Winter, famously known for her work in Modern Family, has opened up about the time she went undercover as a 12-year-old to help catch child predators.

Ariel Winter is helping to catch predators. Credit: Gonzalo Marroquin / Getty

The 27-year-old Modern Family star, best known for her role as Alex Dunphy, joined the nonprofit Safe from Online Sex Abuse (SOSA) for a chilling undercover sting operation that was featured in the new true crime docuseries SOSA Undercover.

And in the premiere episode, Winter didn’t just lend her voice - she became the decoy.

Posing as a preteen girl, Winter donned a blonde wig with bangs and sat in a fake child’s bedroom, even using a childlike voice to FaceTime with a 31-year-old predator in Oklahoma City, whom she shockingly referred to as “Daddy.”

The scene wasn’t fictional. It was real. The sting, the predator, the danger - all of it.

Speaking with the Daily Mail, Winter shared what it felt like to step into the shoes of someone so vulnerable.

“It’s definitely cathartic to be teaming with SOSA, knowing that I can make a difference,” she said. “It can be scary at times pretending to be 12 and talking to older men, but it’s validating to put away predators that have been harming children.”

For Winter, the work hits close to home. “Growing up in the entertainment industry, I’ve been the girl we are trying to save,” she revealed.

“It’s vital to me to help protect young women from the experiences I endured in my own life.” Her comments weren’t just about the sting - they were personal.

She explained: “I am familiar with male predators, because I worked in Hollywood at a young age, I started at age four.”

And it didn’t take long for the exploitation to begin. “I don’t wanna say too much about it, but by the time I was on a laptop and cell phone, I was getting inappropriate messages from older men, and it causes trauma.”

“The experiences I had in person and online as a child have affected me so deeply that I’ve had to go to therapy for it,” she admitted. “The movie and TV industry is a dark place.”

While acting in this sting, she was stunned by how common these encounters were. “I was surprised by the volume of how many men were out there looking to talk to young girls who were 12 or 13.

"It’s hundreds of thousands of men,” she said.

“These men also look like normal, nice guys — they don’t look like predators,” she added.

“They look like the guy next-door, and they’re usually married and have children. The men seem nice because they have pets, and they show you pictures of their dogs. They talk about their everyday life, and they seem like sweet men.

"But the truth is they want to spend time with a 12-year-old girl, they ask inappropriate questions and want to know if parents are around.”

Winter has lent her acting talents to bringing down child predators. Credit: Gregg DeGuire / Getty

Winter didn’t hold back on just how warped these situations can get.

“One guy was almost 40 years old, and he wanted to take an 11-year-old girl shopping for a new bra," the actress recalled. "That’s not normal. It’s not good.”

She called the entire experience “heartbreaking,” adding: “This whole experience has been heartbreaking, because I think of how young these girls are and they’re being approached by much older men.”

She emphasized how easy it is for kids to fall into these traps.

“Kids look for online relationships because they’re lonely or bored, and then they find a male and think that they can connect to them, not realizing they are so much older and are actually predators with bad intentions,” she said.

Despite the emotional toll, Winter is committed to the work and isn’t backing down. “I like working with SOSA because it’s women helping women, and I’ll do it as long as I can,” she said.

Featured image credit: Amanda Edwards / Getty